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Yoshida Shouyou
|backcolor= 8FBC8F |textcolor= F5F5F5 |image= |jname= 吉田 松陽 |aka= Shouyou-sensei |rname= Yoshida Shōyō |ename= Shouyou Yoshida |race= Human |gender= Male |eye= Grey |hair= Grey / Brown |status= Deceased |occupation= Teacher |affiliation= Shouka Sonjuku |strong points= Physical strength (presumably) |lesson= Lesson 97 (flashback) |vol= 12 (flashback) |episode= Episode 61 (flashback) |jva= Yamadera Kōichi |eva= David Wald (movie) }} | divwidth= | floatalign= | floatclear= }} Yoshida Shouyou was the head of a private school named Shouka Sonjuku. As a teacher, he taught swordsmanship and bushido to Sakata Gintoki, Katsura Kotarou and Takasugi Shinsuke in their childhood years. Biography So far, not much is known about Yoshida Shouyou. According to Sakata Gintoki, he was, along with Gintoki himself, a drifter. He first met Gintoki in a deserted battlefield, where the latter was eating a riceball while holding a katana with him. Beforehand, Shouyou had heard the rumour of a corpse-eating demon, but eventually discovered that it was a child searching for leftover food among corpses. Gintoki appeared cautious towards him and quickly drew the katana to defend himself, but Shouyou understood that the helpless child was merely stripping the corpses to protect himself. Impressed by Gintoki's will to survive, he gave Gintoki his first lesson: a sword swung in self defense, while fearing others, should be thrown away. He threw his sword to Gintoki, offering to teach the child the proper way of using the sword. Attracted to Shouyou's words, the boy decided to follow him. After adopting Gintoki, Shouyou opened a private school named Shouka Sonjuku, where he taught poor children without charging them anything. As such, Gintoki became his very first student. Some time later, while looking for Gintoki, who had been slacking off, Shouyou saved Katsura Kotarou and Takasugi Shinsuke from being bullied by a group of their seniors. After visiting Shouka Sonjuku for some time, the two boys grew bored with their current education. Upon hearing the rumors about the school and the government officials' attempt to destroy it, they defended the place with Gintoki, but Shouyou protected them and they decided to study under him since then. During that time, one of the lessons Shouyou taught them was that the sword should not be swung to cut down enemies and one's weakness, but to protect the holder's soul. Shouyou was a popular teacher to the students until the Kansei Purge happened. Being accused of creating gatherings that could create dissenters, he was arrested by the Tendoshu. Gintoki, who was tied down, watched helplessly as Shouyou was taken away. While being taken away, Yoshida Shouyou left everything to Gintoki's care. He promised Gintoki that he would come back and he asked his student to protect his comrades before he returned. Not long after his arrest, Gintoki, Katsura and Takasugi rose up as the last warriors of the Old Jouishishi and joined the Joui War, as a desperate attempt to rescue their teacher. Unfortunately, Shouyou was executed by Gintoki himself when he was forced by his enemies to choose between decapitating him or his fellow comrades. Although Shouyou and him gave each other one last smile, grateful that Gintoki kept his promise to protect everyone. This loss leaving them in despair and they were brutally left to face his decapitated head. Legacy Throughout the series, Yoshida Shouyou was shown to have great influences on Gintoki, Katsura and Takasugi. His teaching was so important to both Katsura and Takasugi that they still carry the textbooks with them as adults, with the books ironically saving both of them later. While Gintoki claimed to have spilled ramen over the book and threw it away, it is evident that he keeps his respect and gratitude to Shouyou in heart. Moreover, his death had greatly affected his three students. After the Joui War, Takasugi became willing to destroy the world, seeing his teacher's death as a proof of the world being unbearably corrupted. While so, Katsura claimed that he once shared the desire to destroy the world too, but realising that there were many people he cherished and wanted to protect, he believed that there would be a way to change Edo that would not sacrifice many lives, saying that was what Shouyou would have hoped for if he was still alive. As of Gintoki, he was said by Katsura to have taken the death of Shouyou the hardest. Greatly respecting Shouyou, he believed that Jiraia's cowardice and his attitude towards Tsukuyo had dishonoured the titles of a mentor and teacher. In addition, Gintoki had also shown a dark side, in which he wants to slay anyone related to his teacher's death. Appearance Shouyou's appearance is very similar to that of Katsura. He has long brown-ish grey hair and grey eyes. He also wears a grey robe and a haori. Gallery shouyo.jpg|Shouyou in the manga Shoyou's real face.jpg|Shouyou's real face Personality He is shown in all past flashbacks as a kind and gentle man, who willingly offered Gintoki a stable life and kindly taught a group of poor children without charging them. Strength & Abilities * Physical Strength: According to a flashback, Shouyou was shown to have great physical strength. In his first meet with Katsura and Takasugi, he could defeat a gang by a simple knock on their head, and his knock on Gintoki's head could break the ground. Relationships Students * Sakata Gintoki: Shouyou was the one who found Gintoki at a battlefield and offered him a stable life. He then proceeded to open a school in his home, making the boy his first student. Gintoki deeply respects him, to an extent that he gets furious if someone dishonours the name of being a master. According to Katsura, Gintoki took Shouyou's death the hardest, and it still haunts him up to now. Although he treasures his teacher's lessons, Gintoki claimed to have thrown away Shouyou's sword and his textbook when he stained it with curry. This possibly means that he does not need material items to remember Shouyou and his lessons. In addition, Gintoki also honours a promise between them when Shouyou was arrested, in which he promised to protect what Shouyou left behind, which he still does at present. Although he controls himself, Gintoki has showed a dark side in which he wants to slay those who were related to the death of his teacher. * Takasugi Shinsuke: Having grown bored of his current education, Takasugi followed Shouyou's tutor after visiting his school and defending it with Katsura and Gintoki, even if it meant that he would be disowned by his family. He greatly respects his teacher, to a point of carrying his book along as an adult. After the death of Shouyou, Takasugi sought to destroy what Shouyou left behind, believing that his death was a proof of the world being too corrupted. * Katsura Kotarou: Like Takasugi, Katsura was sick with his current pressure-free education and followed Shouyou's tutor after visiting his school and defending it with Takasugi and Gintoki. He greatly respect his teacher, to a point of carrying his book along as an adult. After the death of Shouyou, Katsura initially wanted to change the nation by destroying the Bakufu but now he looks for a peaceful method, believing that was what Shouyou intended. Trivia * Based on Yoshida Shoin (吉田松陰), who once became the teacher of Takasugi Shinsaku and others. Shoin began to study tactics when he was 5, attended college when he was 8, and even taught in college when he was 9. At one point, Shoin was sent to a jail and sentenced to house arrest. He ran a school in jail, and after being released he taught the youth about military arts and politics. Afterwards, his students travelled around Japan in his place as he was forbidden to. ** The name of Shouyou's school, Shouka Sonjuku, is also the name of the historical Shoin's school. * His first name, Shouyou, means "pine trees in the sunlight," whereas his last name, Yoshida, means "lucky field." Quotes * (To Sakata Gintoki) Our comrades, everyone, please take care of them for me, okay? Let's make it a promise. * (To Sakata Gintoki) A sword isn't meant to protect your body, a sword is meant for protecting your soul. * (To Sakata Gintoki) Those who called themselves samurai must not take half-measured. It is inexcusable to use superior numbers to bully people. * (To Takasugi Shinsuke) If they each carry their own bushido in their hearts, they can each become their own samurai. * (To Takasugi Shinsuke) All a victor receives is a sense of self-satisfaction and conceit. As the loser, you won something far more meaningful. * I don't mind you spreading whatever rumors you want about me. If I'm being an eyesore, then I'll be on my way somewhere else... However, if you point your swords at my students, then I wouldn't mind overthrowing something like a government. References Category:Characters Category:Deceased Characters Category:Male Characters